Chapter 75

But when the Great Sage Sun reached the cave mouth, he looked to both sides and saw: Skulls like mountain ridges, bones like a forest. Human hair matted into felt sheets, human flesh and skin rotted into mud and dust. Human sinews tangled on trees, dried and glistening like silver. Truly a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood; indeed the stench was unbearable. On the east side, little demons were seizing living men and slicing off their flesh; on the west, wanton fiends were boiling and frying human meat fresh. Had it not been for the heroic courage of the Handsome Monkey King, no ordinary mortal could have entered that gate. Before long, he entered the second gate and looked around—ah! This place was different from outside: pure and strangely elegant, lovely and broad and level; on left and right were rare grasses and immortal flowers, before and behind were tall pines and green bamboos. After another seven or eight li, he reached the third gate. He slipped to one side and peered furtively: high above sat three old demons, extremely hideous and fierce. The one in the middle had: Chiseled tusks and saw-like teeth, a round head and square face. His roar like thunder, his glance like lightning. Upturned nose pointing to heaven, red brows like flaring flames. Where he walked, all beasts were panic-stricken; when he sat, all fiends trembled. This one was the Green-Haired Lion Monster, king of beasts. The one on his left had: Phoenix eyes and golden pupils, yellow teeth and thick legs. A long trunk and silver hair, head resembling tail. Round forehead with frowning brows, a massive frame. His soft voice like a graceful beauty, his jade face like an ox-headed fiend. This one was the Yellow-Tusked Old Elephant, who had cultivated his form for many years. The one on his right had: Golden-winged, whale-headed, starry eyes and leopard's gaze. Shaking the north and circling the south, strong and fierce and bold. When he changed and soared, even dragons were dejected and phoenixes sad. When he whirled his wings, all birds hid their heads; when he bared his claws, all fowl lost courage. This one was the Great Roc of the ninety-thousand-li cloud journey. Below them on both sides were arrayed a hundred or more headmen, large and small; every one was fully armored, helmets and breastplates all neat, awe-inspiring and murderous. When the Great Sage observed this, he felt delighted and not at all afraid. He strode straight in through the gate, unstrapped the wooden clapper, and called out to the dais, "Great King." The three old demons smiled and asked, "Little Diamond Wind, you've come?" The Great Sage replied, "I've come." "You went on patrol; what news of Sun Wukong?" The Great Sage said, "Great King above, I dare not even speak of it." The old demon said, "Why dare not?" The Great Sage said, "I was following Your Majesty's command, beating my clapper as I walked, when I raised my head and saw a man crouching there sharpening a staff. He looked like a road-clearing giant; if he stood up, he would be over a hundred feet tall. He scooped up water from the rocks by the stream and whetted it, and each time he muttered that this staff of his had not yet displayed its powers here; he was sharpening it to come and beat the great kings. So I knew he was Sun Wukong, and I came specially to report." When the old demon heard this, he broke out in a sweat and trembled, saying, "Brothers, I said we should not provoke the Tang Monk. His disciple has vast supernatural powers and has made preparations in advance—he is sharpening his staff to fight us. What shall we do?" He ordered, "Little ones, summon all the big and small demons outside the cave, shut the gates, and let him pass." One of the headmen who knew the situation reported, "Great King, the little demons outside the gate have already scattered." The old demon said, "Why have they all scattered? They must have heard bad news. Hurry, shut the gates, shut them quickly." All the demons banged and clattered, bolting the front and back gates securely. The Great Sage thought to himself, "If they shut the gates, and then ask me more questions about my family, I won't be able to answer—won't that give me away and get me caught? Let me scare them a little more, so they'll open the gates and I can escape." He stepped forward again and said, "Great King, he also said something bad." The old demon said, "What else did he say?" The Great Sage said, "He said he would skin the eldest great king, flay the second great king, and tear out the sinews of the third great king. If you shut the gates and don't come out, he can change shape; in a moment he'll turn into a fly, fly in through the cracks, seize us all, and take us out—then what shall we do?" The old demon said, "Brothers, be careful. In this cave, year after year, there are no flies; but if a fly gets in, it must be Sun Wukong." The Great Sage chuckled to himself, "Then I'll turn into a fly and scare them, so they open the gates." The Great Sage stepped aside, reached behind his head, plucked a single hair, blew on it a breath of immortal energy, and said, "Change!" It transformed into a golden fly, which flew straight at the old demon and bumped him in the face. The old fiend was alarmed and said, "Brothers, this won't do—that fellow has come inside." All the little demons, large and small, startled, grabbed rakes and brooms and rushed forward to swat the fly. The Great Sage could not help but let out a snicker. But unfortunately he should not have laughed, for that laugh revealed his original face. At once the third old demon leaped forward and grabbed him, saying, "Elder brother, he nearly fooled us." The old demon said, "Dear brother, who fooled whom?" The third fiend said, "This little demon who just reported is not Little Diamond Wind—he is Sun Wukong. He must have run into Little Diamond Wind, killed him somehow, and changed into his form to trick us." The Great Sage was alarmed and said, "He recognizes me." He felt his face and said to the old fiend, "How am I Sun Wukong? I am Little Diamond Wind—the great king has mistaken me." The old demon laughed and said, "Brother, he is Little Diamond Wind. He reports three times a day at roll call; I know him." Then he asked, "Do you have your token?" The Great Sage said, "Yes." He lifted his clothes and took out the token. The old fiend was now fully convinced and said, "Brother, do not wrong him." The third fiend said, "Elder brother, did you not see him? Just now when he slipped aside and laughed, I saw that he showed a thunder-god beak. When he saw me grabbing him, he changed back to this appearance." He ordered, "Little ones, bring rope." The headmen brought cords at once. The third fiend threw the Great Sage down and bound him hand and foot in the "four horses hooves tied" manner. When they lifted his clothes and looked, he was every inch the Protector of the Horses. Now, the Great Sage had seventy-two transformations. If he changed into birds, beasts, flowers, trees, vessels, insects, and the like, his whole body transformed; but when he changed into human form, only his head and face changed—his body could not change completely. Sure enough, he had yellow fur all over, two red buttocks, and a tail. The old demon looked and said, "It is Sun Wukong's body and Little Diamond Wind's face. It is he." He ordered, "Little ones, first lay out wine to toast our third great king for his meritorious capture. Now that we have Sun Wukong bound, the Tang Monk is certainly our meal." The third fiend said, "Do not drink yet. Sun Wukong is slippery and knows escape arts—we must be careful he does not get away. Have the little ones bring out the vase and put Sun Wukong inside it; then we can drink our wine." The old demon laughed heartily and said, "Exactly, exactly." He then summoned thirty-six lesser demons, who went inside, opened the storehouse door, and carried out the bottle. Would you know how large that bottle was? It was only two feet four inches high. Why then did it require thirty-six men to carry it? This bottle was a treasure of Yin and Yang's two vital forces, containing within it the Seven Treasures, the Eight Trigrams, and the Twenty-Four Solar Terms. It required thirty-six men, corresponding to the number of the Heavenly Stars, before it could be moved. In no time, they brought the precious bottle out, placed it outside the third gate, wiped it clean, and lifted its lid. They untied the bound Great Sage, stripped off his clothes, and with a swoosh the immortal vapor within the bottle drew him inside. Then they covered the lid, pasted a seal upon it, and went back to drinking, saying, "Now that this monkey has entered our precious bottle, he need not think again of the road to the West. If he can still worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures, it can only be after he has turned his back, shaken his cart, and gone to be reborn and seize another body." You see all the great and small demons, each laughing heartily, all went to celebrate their achievement—no more of that. Now the Great Sage, having reached the inside of the bottle, found his body shrunk by the treasure; he thereupon changed form and crouched in the middle. After a long while, feeling cool and shaded, he suddenly laughed aloud and said, "This fiend has only an empty fame without substance. How could he tell people that this bottle, once it has a man inside, will turn him into pus and blood within the space of a single hour? If it is as cool as this, even seven or eight years would be no trouble." Eh! The Great Sage did not know the nature of this treasure: if it held a man who remained silent for a year, it would stay cool for a year; but as soon as it heard human speech, fire would come to burn. Before the Great Sage had finished speaking, the entire bottle was filled with flames. Fortunately he had ability—he sat in the middle, recited the Fire-Avoidance Spell, and was utterly unafraid. He endured for half an hour, then forty snakes emerged from all around and bit him. The Great Sage swung his hands, seized them, and with all his strength squeezed them into eighty pieces. After a short while, three fire dragons came out and coiled around him, above and below, truly difficult to bear. He began to feel flustered and at a loss, saying, "Other things are manageable, but these three fire dragons are troublesome. If I do not get out before too long, and the fire’s energy attacks my heart, what then?" He thought, "I will stretch my body and break it open." Good Great Sage, he made the sign, recited the spell, and called out, "Grow!" He grew to several zhang in height. The bottle pressed close against his body and also grew taller. He then shrank his body—and the bottle shrank accordingly. The Great Sage was alarmed and thought, "Hard, hard, hard. How is it that when I grow, it grows, and when I shrink, it shrinks? What am I to do?" As he spoke, he felt a pain on his ankle bone. He hurriedly reached out and touched it—it had been softened by the fire. He grew anxious and said, "What to do? My ankle bone is burned soft—I’ll be crippled." Unable to contain himself, he shed tears. This is exactly: Encountering demons and suffering, he thinks of Tripiṭaka; In peril and danger, he worries for the holy monk. He said, "Master! Back then I turned to the true faith, and through the kind persuasion of Bodhisattva Guanyin, I escaped heavenly calamities. I have endured with you through many mountains, subdued many monsters, tamed Bajie, and gained Sha Seng—through a thousand hardships and ten thousand toils, hoping together to reach the Western Land and achieve the true fruit together. Who could have expected that today I would meet this venomous demon, that Old Sun would mistakenly enter this place, lose my life, and abandon you midway on the mountain, unable to advance. I suppose it is because my fame was once too great that I face this disaster today." In the midst of this sorrow, he suddenly remembered: "When the Bodhisattva was at Serpent-Coil Mountain, she once gave me three life-saving hairs. I wonder if I still have them—let me search." He reached out and felt all over his body, and found three hairs at the back of his head, extremely stiff. He joyfully said, "All the hairs on my body are soft and pliable, but only these three are so rigid—they must be the ones to save my life." He then gritted his teeth, endured the pain, plucked the hairs, blew on them with immortal breath, and called out, "Change!" One hair became a diamond drill, one became a bamboo splint, and one became a silk cord. He bent a strip of bamboo into a bow, attached the drill, and with a whirring sound drilled at the bottom of the bottle until he made a small hole, through which light shone in. Delighted, he said, "What luck, what luck—now I can get out." He then changed his form; the bottle became cool again. Why did it become cool? Because he had drilled through it, releasing the Yin and Yang's vital forces, hence it grew cool. Good Great Sage, he put away the hairs, shrank his body, and turned into a tiny cicada—exceedingly light and nimble, fine as a hair, long as an eyebrow—and crawled out through the hole. Yet he did not leave immediately; he flew straight to the head of the old demon and perched there. The old demon was drinking, but suddenly set down his cup and said, "Third Brother, has Sun Xingzhe been dissolved by now?" The third demon laughed, "Is it already that time?" The old demon ordered the bottle to be lifted up. The thirty-six lesser demons below went to lift it—and the bottle was much lighter. The demons were alarmed and reported, "Great King, the bottle has grown light." The old demon shouted, "Nonsense—this treasure possesses the full power of Yin and Yang's two forces; how could it be light?" Among them, one particularly bold little demon raised the bottle and said, "Look—isn't this light?" When the old demon lifted the lid and looked, he saw it was bright inside, and could not help crying out, "This bottle is empty—kong!" The Great Sage, on his head, could not help but also exclaim, "My son, it’s gone—sou!" When the demons heard, they said, "He’s gone, he’s gone!" And they gave the order, "Close the gates, close the gates." The Great Sage shook his body, retrieved the clothes that had been stripped from him, revealed his original form, and leaped out of the cave. Turning back, he cursed, "Fiends, do not be insolent. The bottle is drilled through—it can no longer hold people; you may as well use it for a chamber pot." Joyfully and noisily, he stepped onto the clouds and headed straight back to where Tripiṭaka was. The elder was at that very moment gathering earth for incense, facing the sky in prayer. The Great Sage halted his cloud and listened to what he was praying. The elder joined his palms and addressed heaven: "Praying to invite all immortals of clouds and mists, The Six Ding and Six Jia, and all the heavenly hosts. May they protect my worthy disciple Sun Xingzhe, Whose divine powers are vast, whose Dharma is boundless." The Great Sage, hearing these words, redoubled his efforts, drew in his cloud-light, and approached, calling out, "Master, I am here." The Elder steadied him and said, "Wukong, you have labored hard. You went far to explore the high mountain and have been gone a long while; I was much worried. In the end, what fortune or misfortune is there in this mountain?" Pilgrim laughed and said, "Master, this time I went—first, it was because the living beings of the Eastern Land have the fate and the share; second, it was because your merit and virtue are boundless and immeasurable; third, it was also thanks to your disciple's magical powers." He then recounted in full the earlier matters of pretending to be the Wind-Penetrating demon, being trapped in the bottle, and his escape. "Now that I have seen your venerable face, I am truly a man reborn." The Elder thanked him without end, saying, "This time you did not gamble in combat with the demons, did you?" Pilgrim said, "No." The Elder said, "Then you cannot guarantee my crossing of this mountain?" Now Pilgrim was a man who loved to excel, and he shouted, "How can I not guarantee your crossing of the mountain?" The Elder said, "If you have not met them in a contest of victory or defeat, but only so vaguely, how dare I go forward?" The Great Sage laughed and said, "Master, you are too inflexible. As the saying goes: 'A single thread does not make a cord, a single palm cannot clap.' Those three demons and their thousands of little imps—how could old Sun alone gamble in combat with them?" The Elder said, "The few cannot overcome the many; indeed it is hard for you alone. Bajie and Sha Monk also have their abilities. Tell them all to go, and with united hearts and concerted strength, sweep clean the mountain path and see me safely across." Pilgrim pondered and said, "Your words are most fitting. Let Sha Monk protect you, and let Bajie come with me." The Idiot was flustered and said, "Elder Brother, you have no eye for things. I am crude and thick, with no real ability; walking I block the wind—what use would I be to you?" Pilgrim said, "Brother, though you have no great ability, at any rate you are a man. As the saying goes: 'Even a fart adds wind.' You can at least bolster my courage." Bajie said, "Very well, very well, I hope you will take me along and look after me. Only in the tricky spots, don't make a fool of me." The Elder said, "Bajie, be careful. I and Sha Monk will stay here." That Idiot roused his divine majesty and, together with Pilgrim, mounted a fierce gale, rode the clouds and mist, leaped up the high mountain, and arrived at the cave mouth. They saw at once that the cave gate was tightly shut and there was no one about on all sides. Pilgrim stepped forward, grasped his iron staff, and cried out in a loud voice, "Demon, open the gate! Quickly come out and fight with old Sun." The little imps in the cave reported this. The Old Demon was terrified and said, "For years they have said the Monkey is fierce—the saying is no empty tale, truly it is so." The Second Old Monster asked from the side, "Elder Brother, what do you say?" The Old Demon said, "That Pilgrim earlier changed into a little Wind-Penetrating demon and slipped in among us; we could not recognize him. Fortunately our Third Worthy Brother knew him and had him put into the bottle. But he used his skill, burst through the bottle, then stole back his clothes and escaped. Now he is outside challenging us to battle. Who dares to fight the first bout with him?" Not a single person answered. He asked again, and again no one answered—they all played deaf and dumb. The Old Demon grew angry and said, "We have a certain ugly name along the great road of the Western lands, and now Sun Pilgrim so despises us that if we do not go out and meet him in battle, we shall lower our reputation. I will risk this old life of mine and go fight him for three rounds. If I can fight for three rounds and win, then Tang Monk is still the meat in our mouths; if I cannot win, then we shall close the gate and let him pass." So he took his armor and accoutrements, put them on, opened the gate, and went out. Pilgrim and Bajie watched from beside the gate—truly a fine monster: Iron forehead, bronze head, wearing a precious helmet, Its tassels streaming with great brilliance. Brilliant as lightning, his two eyes flashed bright; Bright as spreading clouds, his two temples flew. Hooked claws like silver, sharp and keen; Saw teeth like chisels, close and even. His body clad in golden armor without seam, His waist bound with a dragon sash—it showed his wit. In hand he held a bright, gleaming steel blade— A hero, fierce and mighty, rare in all the world. With one loud shout like thunder's crash, He asked, "Who is it that knocks at the gate?" The Great Sage turned and said, "It is your Old Master Sun, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven." The Old Demon laughed and said, "So you are Sun Pilgrim? You reckless ape, I did not provoke you—why then are you here challenging me to battle?" Pilgrim said, "'When there is wind, there are waves; when there is no tide, the water is calm.' If you did not provoke me, would I seek you out? It is only because your pack of foxes and dogs have banded together and plotted to devour my master that I have come to act." The Old Demon said, "You come bawling at my gate so truculently—do you mean to fight?" Pilgrim said, "Exactly." The Old Demon said, "Do not be so insolent. If I were to muster my demon troops, deploy my battle formations, wave flags and beat drums, and fight you, that would make me a tiger at home, bullying you. I will only fight you one on one, and no helpers." When Pilgrim heard this, he called out, "Pig Bajie, step aside, and see what old Sun does to him." That Idiot indeed withdrew to one side. The Old Demon said, "Come over here, and first be a post for me—let me put all my strength into chopping your bald head three times, and then I will let your Tang Monk pass. But if you cannot withstand it, quickly send your Tang Monk to me to make a meal." When Pilgrim heard this he laughed and said, "Demon, if you have paper and brush in your cave, bring them out and let us make a contract. From today until next year, even if you keep chopping, I will not take it seriously." That Old Demon roused his majesty, planted his feet in a T-step, raised his blade with both hands, and aimed a downward chop at the Great Sage's crown. The Great Sage raised his head to meet it—there was a crackling sound, but not a trace of red on his scalp. The Old Demon was greatly startled and said, "This monkey has a hard head indeed!" The Great Sage laughed and said, "You do not know. Old Sun is: Born with a copper head and iron cranium, In all heaven and earth none like it. Axes and hammers cannot break it; In youth I entered Old Lord's furnace. The Four Dipper Star Lords supervised its making, The Twenty-Eight Mansions plied their craft. Soaked in water many times without harm, All around with tough sinews laid. Tang Monk, still afraid it was not firm enough, Had me fitted beforehand with a purple-gold fillet." The Old Demon said, "Monkey, do not boast. Watch this second cut—I will certainly not spare your life." Pilgrim said, "One way or another, it is only chopping like that." The Old Demon said, "Monkey, you do not know this blade: Forged in the furnace of gold and fire, Tempered by divine might through hundred-fold smelting. Its edge obeys the Three Strategies, Its hardness follows the Six Arts. It is like a fly's tail, Like a white python's waist. When it goes to the mountains, clouds swirl; When it goes to the sea, waves roll high. Polished countless times, Tempered hundreds of rounds. It lies in deep mountains and ancient caves, And on the battlefields it wins merit. If it touches your monk's skull-top, One slash will make two halves." The Great Sage laughed and said, "This demon has no eye—he takes old Sun for a gourd-head. Well then, a mistaken chop and a mistaken yield—let you chop one more cut and see what happens." That Old Demon raised his blade and chopped again. The Great Sage met it with his head—ping-pong—and it split into two halves. The Great Sage rolled on the ground and changed into two bodies. When the demon saw this he was alarmed and lowered his steel blade. Pig Bajie, watching from far off, laughed and said, "The Old Demon chops well in two cuts—has he not made four men?" The Old Demon pointed at Pilgrim and said, "I have heard you can use the art of dividing your body; why do you display this art before me?" The Great Sage said, "What is the art of dividing the body?" The Old Demon said, "Why was it that after the first cut you did not move, but after this cut you have become two men?" The Great Sage laughed and said, "Demon, do not be afraid. If you cut ten thousand times, I will give you twenty thousand men." The Old Demon said, "You monkey, you only know how to divide your body, not how to gather it. If you have the skill to gather back into one and strike me one blow with your staff, then do so." The Great Sage said, "No lying allowed. You were to cut three times, but you have only cut me twice. If you let me strike one blow—if I strike even half a blow, I will no longer be named Sun." The Old Demon said, "Exactly, exactly." The Great Sage, superb, pressed his body close, rolled over, and once again stood as a single figure. He seized his staff and struck straight at the head. The Old Demon raised his blade to parry and said, "Bald monkey, so rude! What sort of mourning staff is this that you dare come to my door and strike people?" The Great Sage shouted in reply, "If you ask about this staff of mine, its fame is known throughout heaven and earth." The Old Demon said, "What proves its fame?" He replied: "This staff is forged from refined iron nine times transformed, In Laozi's own furnace it was smelted and formed. King Yu sought it and named it Divine Treasure, In all four seas and eight rivers it served as the measure. Stars and constellations are subtly inlaid within, At both ends are bands of gold leaf pinned. Dense patterns engraved make ghosts and spirits start, With dragon scrolls and phoenix seal script as art. Its name is the Numinous Yang Staff, one of a kind, Deep hidden in the ocean vault, hard for men to find. Once formed, it can change and soar in flight, Drifting with five-colored rainbow light. Old Sun won the Way and brought it back to the hills, Infinite transformations, much experience it instills. At times it grows as thick as a great vat's girth, Or shrinks as small as an iron thread's worth. Thick as Mount Heng, thin as a needle's eye, Long or short, as my mind's whim may supply. Gently raised, it brings forth colorful clouds, Brightly flying, like lightning it shrouds. Its chill breath sends a bitter cold around, Killing mists in the air do abound. Dragon-subduing, tiger-taming, it stays by my side, Through every corner of earth and sea I ride. I once used this staff to disturb Heaven's Hall, Its might broke up the Peach Banquet's festival call. The Heavenly King in combat never could win, Nezha faced it and could not begin. With this staff I struck the gods, none could hide, A hundred thousand heavenly soldiers all fled wide. Thunder lords guarded the Jade Palace high, I flew up and struck the Hall of Brightness nigh. The court officials all were in a flurry, The immortal ministers were thrown into hurry. I raised my staff and overturned the Northern Dipper's gate, Then turned and shook the Southern Pole's estate. When the Heavenly Emperor saw the staff's fierce might, He specially invited Tathagata to my sight. In war, victory and defeat are natural and free, Distress and calamity none can foresee. Full five hundred years I was pressed and confined, Till Guanyin of the South Sea proved kind. The Tang court had a monk who left his home, Before Heaven he made a great vow to roam: To save the ghosts in the City of the Wrongly Slain, On Mount Spirit Mountain the scriptures to obtain. Along the Western Road are demons and sprites, Making travel most inconvenient for one's rites. Knowing this iron staff has no peer in the world, He begged me to be his companion on the road unfurled. When evil fiends are struck, to the underworld they go, Their flesh turns to dust, their bones to powder blow. Everywhere demons fall beneath this staff's blow, By tens of thousands they are laid low. Above, it smashed the Dipper and Ox palaces bright, Below, it crushed the Hall of Senluo in the night. Heavenly generals it chased past Nine Luminaries' light, In the underworld it wounded the Judge of life's flight. Flung from midair, it shakes mountains and streams, Mightier than the Tai Sui's new sword of dreams. All relies on this staff to guard Tripitaka so, All demons under heaven it shall overthrow." When the demon heard these words, trembling, he staked his life, raised his blade, and struck; the Monkey King, smiling, wielded his iron staff to meet him. At first they contended before the cave, then leaped up and fought in midair. This was a fine battle: The Divine Treasure Staff that fixed the Milky Way's floor, Named Ruyi, unequaled in the world it bore. The demon grew furious at his boasts so grand, He raised his great saber, his magic power at hand. Outside the gate they fought at close range near, In the sky they battled, how could they forbear? One changed his form at will without a rest, The other on the spot grew tall in chest. They fought till heavy clouds filled all the sky, And mists drifted over the fields far and nigh. One many times sought to devour Tripitaka's flesh, The other used vast magic powers to protect and refresh. All because the Buddha passed down the sacred lore, Good and evil distinct, they fought with hatred sore. The Old Demon and the Great Sage fought over twenty rounds, neither winning nor losing. Now Bajie, below, seeing the two battling to a fine pitch, could not resist. He seized his rake, mounted the wind, leaped up, and aimed straight at the demon's face with his rake. The demon panicked. He did not know that Bajie was by nature brash and reckless, apt to startle people. Seeing only that he had a long snout and big ears, tough hands and a fierce rake, the demon lost the battle, dropped his blade, turned, and fled. The Great Sage shouted, "After him, after him!" The idiot, buoyed by his prowess, raised his nail-rake and hurried after the monster. When the Old Demon saw him closing in, he halted on the slope, faced the wind, shook himself, and appeared in his original form. He opened his huge mouth wide and prepared to swallow Bajie. Bajie, terrified, hastily ducked and burrowed into the grass, heedless of thorns and brambles, careless of scratches and cuts to his head, trembling as he listened to the sounds within the grass. Then Pilgrim arrived. The monster opened his mouth to swallow him too, but Pilgrim, catching his cue, put away his iron staff and advanced to meet him—and was swallowed in one gulp by the Old Demon. The idiot, frightened, muttered and grumbled in the grass: "This弼马温 [Stable Horse Warden] knows no bounds. The monster came to eat you—why didn't you run, instead of going to meet him? Swallowed into his belly in one gulp, today he's still a monk, but tomorrow he'll be no more than dung!" The demon departed in triumph, and only then did the idiot crawl out of the grass and slink back the way he came. Now Tripitaka, down by the slope, was anxiously watching with Sha Monk. He saw Bajie come running back, panting heavily. Tripitaka was greatly startled and said, "Bajie, why are you in such a sorry state? How is it that Wukong is not to be seen?" The idiot, sobbing and crying, said, "Elder Brother has been swallowed in one gulp by the fiend!" When Tripitaka heard this, he collapsed to the ground, and for a long while stamped his feet and beat his chest, crying, "Disciple, I thought you were so skilled in subduing demons and would lead me to the Western Heaven to see the Buddha—who would have known that today you would die at this monster's hand! Oh, the bitterness! Oh, the bitterness! This disciple's labors, together with all the rest, are now turned to dust!" The master was in great agony. But look at that idiot—he did not try to comfort the master, but called out, "Sha Monk, bring the luggage over. Let's divide it between us." Sha Monk said, "Second Brother, divide it for what?" Bajie said, "Once we split up, each goes his own way: you go back to the River of Flowing Sand and eat people as before; I'll go back to Gao Village and look after my wife. We'll sell the white horse and buy a coffin for the master to see him off." When the elder, fuming, heard these words, he cried out to Heaven and burst into loud wails. But let us not speak of that. Now the Old Demon, having swallowed Pilgrim, thought himself successful and went straight back to his own cave. All the lesser demons came out to greet him and ask of his battle success. The Old Demon said, "I've captured one." The Second Demon, delighted, said, "Elder Brother, whom did you capture?" The Old Demon said, "Sun Wukong." The Second Demon said, "Where have you kept him?" The Old Demon said, "I swallowed him in one gulp into my belly." The Third Demon was greatly alarmed and said, "Elder Brother, I never told you—Sun Wukong is not fit to eat." The Great Sage, inside the belly, said, "He is most fit to eat, and very filling—I shall not go hungry at all." The little demons, startled, said, "Great King, this is terrible—Sun Wukong is speaking inside your belly." The Old Demon said, "What do I fear if he speaks? If I was able to eat him, am I not able to dispose of him? Quick, boil some salt water and I'll drink it down, then vomit him out, and slowly stew him to go with wine." The little demons indeed rushed to prepare half a basin of salt water. The Old Monster drained it in one gulp, then pursed his mouth and strained to vomit with all his might. But the Great Sage had taken root inside his belly and would not move at all. He then blocked his throat, and when the monster tried to vomit again, he grew dizzy and saw stars, even bursting his gall bladder; Pilgrim remained all the more motionless. The Old Demon, catching his breath, called out, "Sun Wukong, will you not come out?" Pilgrim said, "Not yet! I'm perfectly fine staying in here!" The Old Demon said, "Why won't you come out?" Pilgrim said, "You fiend, you have no sense. Ever since I became a monk, I've lived very simply. Now that autumn is cool, I still wear only a single unlined robe. In here it's nice and warm, and there's no draft. Let me stay through the winter, and then I'll come out." All the demons, hearing this, all said, "Great King, Sun Xingzhe wants to spend the winter inside your belly." The Old Demon said, "If he wants to spend the winter, I shall sit in meditation and use the transporting method; if I do not eat for the whole winter, I shall starve that Bimawen to death." The Great Sage said, "My son, you do not understand matters. I, Old Sun, escorting Tang Sanzang to fetch scriptures, passed through the wide expanse and brought along a folding pot to come in and cook some offal to eat. If I take your liver, intestines, stomach, and lungs and enjoy them bit by bit, they'll even last me for travel money until the Qingming Festival." The Second Demon, greatly startled, said, "Brother, this monkey can really do that." The Third Demon said, "Brother, even if he eats the offal, we don't know where he'll set up the pot." Xingzhe said, "The three-pronged bone is a fine place to set up the pot." The Third Demon said, "Not good; if he sets up the pot and lights a fire, the smoke will curl into his nostrils—won't he sneeze?" Xingzhe laughed and said, "No matter; let Old Sun poke his Golden Cudgel up into the crown of his head and make a hole: first, it will serve as a skylight, and second, as a smoke vent." When the Old Demon heard this, though he said he was not afraid, he was nevertheless alarmed in his heart; he could only stiffen his courage and call out, "Brothers, do not fear. Bring me that medicated wine; let me drink a few cups down and poison that monkey to death." Xingzhe laughed secretly to himself, "When Old Sun caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago, I ate Laozi's elixir, the Jade Emperor's wine, Queen Mother's peaches, and phoenix marrow and dragon liver—what kind of thing have I not eaten? What medicated wine dares to poison me?" The little demon indeed strained two flasks of the medicated wine, filled a cup to the brim, and handed it to the Old Demon. The Old Demon took it in his hand, and the Great Sage, inside his belly, smelled the wine's fragrance and said, "Don't let him drink it." O wonderful Great Sage, he twisted his head and changed it into a trumpet-shaped opening, which he set below the monster's throat. The monster swallowed with a gulp, but Xingzhe caught it with a gulp and drank it himself. The second cup was swallowed and again caught and drunk by Xingzhe. In succession he drank seven or eight cups, all caught and drunk by him. The Old Demon put down the cup and said, "No more drinking. Usually when I drink two cups of this wine, my belly burns like fire; but now I have drunk seven or eight cups, and my face has not even reddened!" Now this Great Sage could not drink much wine; having caught and drunk his seven or eight cups, he started to act up drunkenly inside the belly: he kept bracing his arms, falling flat on all fours, kicking high, grabbing the liver to swing, doing handstands, turning somersaults, and dancing wildly. That monster could not bear the pain and collapsed to the ground. But whether he is alive or dead is as yet unknown; listen to the next chapter for the explanation.